We’ve been keeping a little secret in the workshop, and we are so excited to finally share it: Fuzzy Lightbulb has officially delivered the first round of prototypes puppets for Away Resorts!
Away Resorts are one of the UK’s top holiday providers, and if you’ve visited their parks, you probably know their legendary Bear in the Woods show. Recently, they gave their mascots a fresh, modern CGI makeover, and they came to us with a big question: “Can you make these digital characters work in the real world?”
The “Fuzzy” Challenge Translating CGI into a physical puppet is a bit like a magic trick—it has to look great every angle and honour the design, but it also has to work. For this project, we didn’t just want to match the colors; we wanted to really embrace the details of the CGI designs.
We spent weeks obsessing over the details to make sure these guys were “better than most”:
- Built to Last: Theme park life is tough! We engineered these with detachable, replaceable heads and arms. If a character gets a little too much love from a fan, they can be repaired or have swappable elements – keeping the show running.
- Performer Love: The access for the performer is through the back instead of the bottom. It sounds small, but it’s a game-changer for the performers’ comfort and movement during those high-energy live shows. we made these as ligh and as expressive as possible.
- CGI Accuracy: Using custom-printed fabrics, we made sure the textures you see in the park and on the stage are as close as possible to the ones you see on the screen.
What’s Next? These prototypes are currently heading into rehearsals to be put through their paces. We can’t wait to see the final versions rolling out across the parks in the coming months.
It’s been a total joy collaborating with the Away Resorts team. We love being the “boutique” partner that can take a complex digital brief and turn it into something tactile, tough, and—most importantly—full of character.
Keep an eye out for them on your next holiday!